Borussia Dortmund’s new sports director Sebastian Kehl has increased the pressure on new signing Niklas Süle from FC Bayern. The long-time captain also looked back on the change theater around Erling Haaland at BVB.
“His preparation was very short. He will have to face the competition. We have clearly gained quality in this position. Niklas wants to be an integral part of the team and also for the World Cup”; Kehl said in the football talk “Sky 90” about Süle, who has only been used twice as a joker for his new club in the Bundesliga due to muscular problems at the beginning of the season.
“Physically” the 26-year-old central defender “must improve”, Kehl demanded.
This is how BVB plans with Mats Hummels
A competitor of Süles in BVB’s defense is Mats Hummels. The veteran was “not satisfied with his performance last year,” said Kehl. “This competition drives him on. He wants to show that he’s not old-fashioned. As vice-captain, he’s a very important player in this team.”
There is nothing new in terms of future planning at Hummels, who is only tied to BVB until next summer.
“We have agreed that we will be very relaxed about the contract situation. We have great confidence in our leading players. And of course a contract extension is possible. During the winter break we will sit down together in peace,” said Kehl.
The topic of Haaland kept BVB “strong in the end”
Overall, BVB tried to “establish a new performance culture” this summer, according to Michael Zorc’s successor. “We brought in players who exude exactly that – like Salih Özcan, Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle. We had nine defeats last year, that’s too much for Borussia Dortmund. But not every defeat can be explained by a lack of mentality.”
Especially in the final spurt of the past season, Erling Haaland’s interchangeable theater dominated the headlines at BVB. “The topic eventually got through. In the end, it also concerned the team a lot. A player can never be bigger than the club,” said Kehl.
After weeks and months of hanging up, Haaland finally switched to Manchester City thanks to an opt-out clause. BVB collected 60 million euros for the 22-year-old Norwegian.
Kehl was reluctant to comment on Dortmund’s goals for the 2022/2023 season: “I would be happy if we could say that we gave it our all and played at our best. We want to inspire people in the stadium again. Others also keep us busy Topics than the competition with FC Bayern Munich.”